Twelve years ago today – 1/3 of my life ago – I accepted my first chief executive role. While I had been elected to and selected for leadership roles during my scholastic and athletic careers, this was the first time a Board of Directors actually hired me for it.
That first chief exec role was tumultuous, challenging, exciting, and rewarding. During my tenure I developed lifelong friendships and grew substantially as a leader. I made many mistakes – but I learned a great deal as well.
Ultimately I learned that leadership could be a great power for good and I shipped off to IMD to expand my horizons and capabilities. Every day since then has been a deliberate step in an ongoing leadership journey.
The journey continues ,but today I pause to reflect on the big milestone of 12 years ago and how significantly it has impacted my path.
“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.”
― Bilbo Baggins, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings
And it was a privilege to hire you for that role and you were a great first-time CEO! It has been a pleasure to watch you continue to grow in your career.
I'm not sure how \”great\” of a CEO I was (Through the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, there are many things I would do differently!) but it certainly gave me tremendous fodder for learning, tremendous memories, and even better relationships! #gratefulfortheopportunity